Chapter 12: Looking around the campus

Upon arriving at the school Leila immediately went inside. She wanted to explore the school before the entrance ceremony would start.

First thing she did was look for her name on the bulletin board. It was said in the post that the class arrangement for each student will be published there, she made it her first priority. There are many students in this school afterall, she'll be having a hard time if she will wait for more students to crowd in there.

Her school is called City Ec1's Comprehensive Junior High. It was a public school established way before the current era and is well-known for its student's morality and values. Although this school is a little outdated in terms of teaching styles, it never failed in teaching exceptional students with good moral characters.

It was because of this brand that made her parents enroll her in this school. Although they are confident that they are teaching their child well, sometimes no matter how much you lecture and talk to your child an outside influence can overturn all that efforts you have made so far.

They are constantly worried that if they somehow enrolled her to an institution that is notorious for its delinquent and truant graduates, would their darling daughter be like that too? So they opt to just send her to the one known for rigid and upright school than making her mix in with bad influences!

The school is also known for its strict requirements. In this day and age of magics and technology, where can you find a school that requires their student to have at least one life skill such as camping, cleaning, cooking and the likes? Only this school does! Not to mention they included that in the entrance test for their school. For that segment alone at least 3/4 of the examinee are eliminated.

Leila remembered she put wildlife survival in her life skill space. After she turned over her papers, she was ushered to a room and was promptly teleported to a deserted island. The school made her stay there for three days and three nights. Thank goodness her time with her maternal grandparents bore fruit, if not she might not be able to enjoy her time there.

As far as she knows there is no place wouldn't survive in this world and nothing can truly harm her. She could stay in that environment or an even worse one, but she'll live. Only if she didn't learn a thing or two, her time there would be a little boring. Imagine just standing there or sitting there waiting for the time to pass by…

After searching for a while for her name, finally she found her class. "Class 1B huh..."

Committing that in memory she went and looked over the class names and found some familiar names. Who would have thought to be classmates with your daycare classmates again. Khelly was a little expected seeing her parents always had her in mind. But Harvey Jones? That is a real shocker. She fully expected the boy to be enrolled in an elite private school given his family.

Despite the shock, she finds the coincidence quite amusing. She felt that her junior years will be fun with these two around. And it also meant she doesn't need to adjust as much due to having old friends being around. Though she fully expects that she will not be close to them as they were younger, time does wonders afterall.

Finally satisfied looking over the class' composition, she turned her attention to the campus building itself.

The school is big. Given its history, it's not surprising that it is. Age old schools are often big as they are given priority back in the days, although it still applies to this age some things of the past are no longer given to them. The landmass is one of them, and Ec1's campus is gigantic with three main buildings not including the vast field that is only accessible for their students exclusively.

It would take time to fully explore the whole place, but Leila notes to herself familiarize herself with most areas as fast as she can. Who knows what she will find in her wandering. Furthermore she really needs to know any possible escape areas should an incident happen.

Leila's first choice to go to was the school's garden. It is the closest to the gym where the entrance ceremony will take place, so it's also the most convenient place to be. She heard that it houses many flora in there and had a magnificent greenhouse that nurtured rare flower bearing plantae. She would like to see it ahead of time and if possible touch and feel them.

Her first plan was to look for her room, but knowing that if she did find her room will she arrive on time for the ceremony? Traveling from building to building is a time consuming task, if possible she doesn't like wasting her time. Besides, if she's really desperate to look for her room, she'll ask the Mana to guide her as a last resort, even if that will take away her sense of adventure.

So to the garden she goes.

As was promised by the words in the wind, the garden was breathtaking as she heard. Many plants which she both recognized and not recognized are present, the pond area specially got her thumbs up. She really likes the diversity of the aquatic plants that are hosted there with organisms that bring a resemblance to a natural ecology.

The city is a jungle of concrete walls, so seeing a place like this is a sight, even if it's a man-made one. Places like these give her peace—nature gives her peace. So she more than appreciated the care and allocation of this school for arranging this area. She decided to make this her place of refuge.

It seems that she's not the only one who thought so. A girl around her age with a familiar blue eyes came into view. Like her she was also wandering in the garden and their eyes met.

It was the now not-so-little Khelly. She had grown taller, at least a head taller than Leila. And the one that gave her identity away was the hair piece that she was using. It was Leila's gift years ago. Like her gift to Diana years ago, it had an identification function only accessible to her.

"Khelly?" Leila said with uncertainty in her voice, even if she's very sure of the other's identity.

Khelly noticed her and probably didn't recognize her. She stared at Leila for a while and seemed to be giving up trying to remember who this girl was. But she is indeed familiar to her like she had once known her "...you are?"

Leila expected as much. Children can easily forget their earlier memories, so she's not shocked over such things. Her remembering is already an abnormality in itself. Over the years she had been worried that her earlier friends might have forgotten about her, especially Diana and Brian whom she hadn't seen ever since she was in her earlier days in the centre.

But since she called her out already, she might as well introduce herself again.

"It's me Leila, a classmate of yours during our daycare days." Leila simply says. Whether the girl remembers or not it will only do her good to re-acquaintance themselves.

"Leila....Leila...Leila Ah! the one who gave me this." Khelly said as she pointed to the lotus hair pin she had. She then pounced on Leila and said. "It's really you! I haven't seen you for years now. I once went to your old home but was told that your family had moved! How are....."

Leila basked herself with the familiar feeling of being around with her friend. There is no dull moment being around with Khelly, she always had something to talk about. Only missing this kind of presence did Leila painfully aware that she missed this little chatterbox.

"....slow down Khelly you're talking too fast." Leila said as she saw the other turning a little pink for the lack of air. She just thought that the girl's talkative nature had turned to the worst that she actually forgot to breathe.

Khelly immediately shut her mouth and took a breath, she only then realized that she had been too excited. Feeling embarrassed with her blunder, she covered her face with her hands. Her face in bloom for a whole other reason.

"I got a little excited, am I?" Khelly murmured in a small voice.

"Not just excited. You almost depleted your oxygen from talking." Leila answered as a matter of fact.

That made the girl more red and muffled a scream on her hands. She took a deep breath and let go of her hands covering her face and looked straight to her companion.

"Can you forget all that?" Khelly asked with a deadpan face. She really doesn't know what to do at all. She felt she's the first ever person to almost die by talking.

"Impossible." Leila retorted in a flash. Who could forget that? She never saw someone being that talkative who almost suffocated while talking.

"Figures....but can you not tell anyone about this?" The blonde pleaded. Her eyes are practically forming tears in her shame.

"That I can do." Leila promised the other.

"... thanks."

Editing progress: 13/42

Edited: 1/5/21 11:23